Tag Archives: Belgium

I never expected 2017 to be a year to myself, but then again, I guess you never really know what life will bring you with each new year.

I should know better by now.

Even though I didn’t expect it to be a year to myself, I can say with full clarity now that I’m so very glad that it was. This was the year that I found my independence again, understood fully what I deserve in my life, and embraced my alone time.

I’m someone who is already pretty good at being alone. I’m an introvert, most of my pastimes are solo ones – reading, playing my guitar, listening to music, cooking. And my work is very much a solo pursuit, from writing to doing digital marketing for clients.

I’m used to being alone, but 2017 was a year where I really just had myself to pull me back up from my bootstraps, to lean on, to make sense of stressful, happy, and sad situations.

If you’re wondering where to stay in Bruges, Hotel Prinsenhof is my favorite accommodation in the city. This is my full review that explains why!

The rain splattered against the train window as I traveled the short distance from Brussels to Bruges, only an hour away.

I’d dreamed of going to Bruges since I was around 13 and found a random penpal online who lived there. We wrote back and forth for months, talking about the differences in our cultures and how it was growing up as a teenager in Europe vs. America.

To me, Bruges, and Belgium in general, always sounded like a fairytale land – where there were old buildings, horse drawn carriages, cobblestones, and chocolate and waffles. All things that appealed to my 13 year-old self, especially the chocolate and waffles.

One of my goals on The Atlas Heart is to break down travel misconceptions or judgments about places and ideas. Perhaps it could be that destination that everyone warns you not to visit because of how dangerous it is, or maybe you yourself had preconceived notions that were proven wrong once you arrived to where you were going.

My aim is to present a variety of different opinions and experiences through the eyes of other travelers. It’s important to hear travel stories from all different perspectives in life, I call it seeing the world through a kaleidoscope lens.

About The Atlas Heart

Thanks for stopping by and welcome to The Atlas Heart! My name is Mimi, I’m an adventurous traveler who loves getting outside and getting to know local cultures through slow travel. My goal is to find a daily dose of beauty everywhere I go, to learn with an open mind, and to live with an Atlas Heart.

After living abroad for five years in Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Greece, and Portugal I have finally found a home in San Francisco, California. Join me on my journey around the world!